"An Excellent Half-Life mod, if a little short..."

Intro: After playing Half-Life and Opposing Force, you might be wondering whether this is worth your while. It follows the same storyline as the other two, but seen from the perspective of a security guard. Sounding interesting? Then read on!

Gameplay 9/10:Usual awesome half-life gameplay, they haven't messed with anything here, just left it all the same except for a few new weapons. However you can pick from three difficulty levels (easy, medium and hard) in this one as well. For those of you who have played Half-Life you don't really need to know anything more about gameplay. If you're new to it, then keep reading this section. Blue Shift is a First-Person Shooter and following the normal FPS style the game gives you access to lots of guns for you to have fun with and fore different situations. In this game you have everything from a Pistol to a Machine Gun or from a crowbar to an Alien Disperser weapon, as well as everything in between. The aim of the game is to progress through the areas and make your way to the end of the game. It's not like an adventure when you can freely explore an area and come back later; after you leave an area here, you cannot go back. However, there is no need to go back anyway as there is only one main quest of the game. You'll have to use your smarts and reflexes to get through each area because as you progress throughout the Black Mesa facility you will be faced with many different challenges such as killing Black Ops people, taking down aliens, solving puzzles or just crossing biochemical waste.

Graphics 7/10:For the time the graphics were very good, but of course, they're nowhere near good enough to meet today's standards. At the time of release though, they were exceptional graphics, all the guns are true to form and all the aliens are menacing in their appearance. The scenery is maybe a little plain, but does it job of setting the scene very well!

Sound 7/10:What sound? There is no background music to this game, only sound effects. I would normally give a game like that 6/10 for sound, but as it is an FPS it doesn't need it so much, also in some areas it would ruin the atmosphere. The sound effects, though, are very good. All the gun shots, explosions etc are very realistic and if aliens like this really existed and I'm sure they would moan like they do in the game too!

Story 5/10:Well, it basically deserves a 1/10, but its story serves it purpose. Classic storyline: aliens invade the earth and it's up to you to stop them! In Blue Shift, you need to try to find out what is going on and, as a security guard, try to help the people inside (even though very little of this actually happens). So if you're looking for a game with a deep, interesting, enthralling storyline, then maybe you should look elsewhere.

Challenge 9/10:Blue Shift presents an excellent challenge especially seen you have three difficulty levels to pick from. Some areas of the game, especially those against other humans, can be incredibly tough, as well as some alien bosses. However, being able to save anytime you want can make this a little easier unless you save just as you die! Then you're stuck!

Replay Value 6/10:Replay Value is basically non-existent unless you just want to play through it again as you enjoyed it a lot. The only thing to redo is to beat the game on a harder difficulty level, but otherwise, that's it.

Conclusion 7/10Blue Shift is a great half-life mod to play, especially if you need something to do. It has everything you could want for a FPS, except maybe a reason to go back and play it again. Make sure you play it though as it's at least worth a play.